I just finished up a round of research on the “mother of all emergencies”: bloat (AKA, gastric dilatation volvulus or “GDV” for short). I spent hours collecting all the papers and tallying up the stats as I prepared for an article that’ll appear in the next issue or two of The Bark (which is, incidentally, the best newsstand glossy to be had on the subject of all things dog). 

In my...

If Gatorade is for adults and Pedialyte is for kids, what works for pets in the dog days of summer?...during illness?...or all year round?

For most pets, the answer is “just plain H2O.” But did you know that enhanced waters are available for pets, too? 

Some people use them to tempt pets to drink more. Think: heavily exercised pets, dogs with certain kinds of bladder stones, cats with upper...

Mercedes the dog killed Slugger the cat. The fact is not disputed by Mercedes’ owner. But the law that sentences Mercedes to death based on one incident alone is currently under review.

Because the attack happened in Broward County, Florida, the “dangerous dog” laws that apply (among the strictest in the US) offer zero tolerance for pets that commit a fatal act against a “domestic animal” or...

Remember that old fast-food commercial bemoaning the lack of meat in its competitors’ burgers? “Where’s the beef?” it asked, thereby implying the obvious: “You’ve been cheated.”

Same goes for how it is that many humans treat their own healthcare. If they’re sick enough to go see the doc, they somehow take offense when the professional does not acknowledge their suffering with some sort of...

Dr. Nancy Kay is a busy veterinary specialist, an internist who practices in Northern California. She writes books, lectures, sends out a regular email newsletter and keeps me updated on great topics I sometimes miss. That’s why I’m taking today’s post to play off her most recent thoughts on sourcing safe and effective supplements for your pets. 

This has been a big topic for us veterinary...

Apart from putting up a privacy fence, rerouting hoses to new plantings, clearing brush, designing a new coop and preparing to move the sizable goat pen (all under the hot Miami sun), I spent the weekend catching up on some of the last seven days’ veterinary news. 

For starters, here’s some catch-up news on my chickens and goats: I took your advice and spent some hard-earned cash on some...

I’m getting the cold shoulder at work these days. Lots of could shoulders, actually. Verbal complaints, too. The moral outrage is so thick you could slice it mid-air. And it’s all to do with my take on TNR, which I’ve been working hard at lately.

Almost every day this week I’ve brought in a trapped feral. My neighbors and I have decided that the colony of [mostly sick] feral cats has got to...

Here’s a hypothetical for you: You bring your new kitten to your vet for her final well-kitten visit. She’s due for her rabies vaccine, too. The visit proceeds smoothly while the veterinarian performs her physical and answers all your questions. Then you’re done. But where’s the rabies? 

Your vet explains that she gave it while you were discussing things and assumed you saw her give it. You...

I’ve been having lots of fun this summer with my two dogs, my 11 year-old son and a Wednesday night “basic behavior and manners” training class at a local vet hospital (not mine). 

The trainer, one Dee Hoult, is smart, appropriate and positively inclined. I’ve learned new ways to teach the basics––without pulling or much correction at all. I don’t even think I’ve used the word “no” the entire...

Your veterinarian hands you a bottle of antibiotics after treating your cat’s abscess. "You’re to finish them all,” he urges. If you don’t, as the implication goes, you may be contributing to antibiotic resistance. And it won’t be your cat's health alone that suffers, but potentially YOURS, too. 

Antibiotic resistance is an emerging threat that has accelerated in recent decades. The rise of...